News

The Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice and Society will host a free legal clinic at 6:30 p.m. on March 14 at Schrader Lane Church of Christ, 1234 Schrader Lane in Nashville, and attorneys are needed to volunteer. Those who are available should contact Randy Spivey.

Tennessee lawyers helped raise nearly $50,000 to help legal aid programs in the state at the Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Initiative Gala Saturday in Nashville. Over the past 11 years, the event has raised more than half a million dollars in support of pro bono efforts that engage in-house and corporate counsel. The program featured remarks from Michael Sposato, deputy general counsel for Caterpillar Inc., Davidson County Chancellor Bill Young and Michele Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center, as well as TBA President Jason Long and other leaders from the TBA Access to Justice Committee. This year’s event was hosted by Bass, Berry & Sims and honored outstanding law firm and legal departments. This year, Waller, DeRoyal Industries, Lincoln Memorial University – Duncan School of Law and the City of Knoxville were honored for their efforts. See photos from the event or learn more about the Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Initiative.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands and the Tennessee Justice Center were among those awarded IOLTA grants by the Tennessee Bar Foundation for 2017. Among the 29 organizations given grant funding this year, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Memphis Area Legal Services and West Tennessee Legal Services were also awarded top grants. The recipients are chosen through a very competitive process, according to Executive Director Barri Bernstein. Proposals are reviewed by a 14-member committee, which makes recommendations to the Foundation’s 12-member Board of Trustees, who make the final call.

Memphis Area Legal Services received the AutoZone Excellence in Diversity Award at the Inaugural Unity in Diversity awards banquet, hosted by the Benjamin L. Hooks Chapter of the National Black Law Students Association last Thursday. MALS’ Executive Director Harrison D. McIver III said that diversity “is a part of our fabric – a core value that is viewed as a strength that permeates our culture as reflected in staffing and programming decisions.”

Lawyers who jumped into action to help those affected by President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration are rising in popularity, at least among those who oppose the policy, the ABA Journal writes. This growing respect for lawyers has led one law school dean to see opportunity. Brooklyn Law School president and dean Nicholas Allard says law schools can build on recent events and highlight the importance of lawyers “to the defense of our rights, the pursuit of justice, and the preservation of our Republic.” Allard writes, “President Trump has made lawyers the breakout stars in the early days of his new administration.”

Lawyers who jumped into action to help those affected by President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration are rising in popularity, at least among those who oppose the policy, the ABA Journal writes. This growing respect for lawyers has led one law school dean to see opportunity. Brooklyn Law School president and dean Nicholas Allard says law schools can build on recent events and highlight the importance of lawyers “to the defense of our rights, the pursuit of justice, and the preservation of our Republic.” Allard writes, “President Trump has made lawyers the breakout stars in the early days of his new administration.”

A nonprofit online platform known for its large library of interactive math courses, today announced it will offer free Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) practice materials, working with the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). The LSAC will provide financial support for the platform designed by Khan Academy. “We wanted to level the playing field and make law school accessible to all who are interested in pursuing law," Lily Knezevich, the LSAC’s senior director of test development, told the ABA Journal.

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday dropped a claim that a strict voter ID law in Texas was enacted with discriminatory intent, according to the ABA Journal. Opponents had argued the restrictions on which IDs were acceptable were intended to benefit Republicans and white voters who tend to support them.The Justice Department said it was dropping the claim to allow time for Texas lawmakers to consider a bill that would allow more types of IDs. A lawyer representing one of the plaintiffs in the case, Danielle Lang, said that the dropped claim "is a complete 180-degree turn."

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday dropped a claim that a strict voter ID law in Texas was enacted with discriminatory intent, according to the ABA Journal. Opponents had argued the restrictions on which IDs were acceptable were intended to benefit Republicans and white voters who tend to support them.The Justice Department said it was dropping the claim to allow time for Texas lawmakers to consider a bill that would allow more types of IDs. A lawyer representing one of the plaintiffs in the case, Danielle Lang, said that the dropped claim "is a complete 180-degree turn."

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday dropped a claim that a strict voter ID law in Texas was enacted with discriminatory intent, according to the ABA Journal. Opponents had argued the restrictions on which IDs were acceptable were intended to benefit Republicans and white voters who tend to support them.The Justice Department said it was dropping the claim to allow time for Texas lawmakers to consider a bill that would allow more types of IDs. A lawyer representing one of the plaintiffs in the case, Danielle Lang, said that the dropped claim "is a complete 180-degree turn."

The Music City Community Courts, in partnership with the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division, will host an expungement clinic in Nashville on March 4. A high turnout of clients is expected and volunteers are still needed. The clinic will be at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Antioch, 2261 Murfreesboro Pike, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Contact Amber Floyd to volunteer. Other services that will be provided onsite include job interviews, voter registration and CPR training.

The Music City Community Courts, in partnership with the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division, will host an expungement clinic in Nashville on March 4. A high turnout of clients is expected and volunteers are still needed. The clinic will be at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Antioch, 2261 Murfreesboro Pike, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Contact Amber Floyd to volunteer. Other services that will be provided onsite include job interviews, voter registration and CPR training.

The Music City Community Courts, in partnership with the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division, will host an expungement clinic in Nashville on March 4. A high turnout of clients is expected and volunteers are still needed. The clinic will be at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Antioch, 2261 Murfreesboro Pike, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Contact Amber Floyd to volunteer. Other services that will be provided onsite include job interviews, voter registration and CPR training.

The Music City Community Courts, in partnership with the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division, is seeking volunteers for an expungement clinic in Nashville on March 4. A high turnout of clients is expected as this series of clinics has been very well-attended in the past. The clinic will take place at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Antioch, 2261 Murfreesboro Pike, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Those who are able to volunteer should contact Amber Floyd.

The Music City Community Courts, in partnership with the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division, is seeking volunteers for an expungement clinic in Nashville on March 4. A high turnout of clients is expected as this series of clinics has been very well-attended in the past. The clinic will take place at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Antioch, 2261 Murfreesboro Pike, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Those who are able to volunteer should contact Amber Floyd.

The Music City Community Courts, in partnership with the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division, is seeking volunteers for an expungement clinic in Nashville on March 4. A high turnout of clients is expected as this series of clinics has been very well-attended in the past. The clinic will take place at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Antioch, 2261 Murfreesboro Pike, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Those who are able to volunteer should contact Amber Floyd.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the Sevier County Bar Association will work together to again host a free legal clinic for the survivors of the Gatlinburg wildfires on Monday, Knoxnews reports. The clinic will take place at the conference center of the Greystone Lodge on the River, located at 559 Parkway, from 1 – 5 p.m. For more information, contact LAET’s Knoxville office at (865) 637-0484.

After the Legal Services Corporation was included in a “hit list” of programs named by the White House budget office, American Bar Association President Linda Klein issued a statement to express her staunch support of the program, The ABA Journal reports. Klein said that “our nation’s core values are reflected in the LSC’s work in securing housing for veterans, freeing seniors from scams, serving rural areas when others won’t, protecting battered women, helping disaster survivors back to their feet, and many others.”

Volunteers are still needed for the Lipscomb/St. James Legal Advice Clinic on Feb. 21 at 5:30 p.m. The clinic will be held at the St. James Missionary Baptist Church, 600 28th Ave. North in Nashville. It will be an advice-only clinic with no expectation that volunteers take on continuing representation. Contact Randy Spivey to volunteer or learn more.

The Tennessee Supreme Court announced today a series of free legal advice events as part of its Access to Justice Initiative, in which all Tennesseans are invited to get free civil legal help online or in person at walk-in clinics near them. #HELP4TNDAY, as it's called, will kick off in mid-March with press conferences in Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, Jackson and Chattanooga, where communities will hear from Tennessee Supreme Court justices as well as Tennesseans who have been helped through the program. The events will continue through mid-April. Visit www.help4tn.org to learn more.

The Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) will celebrate 21 years of legal service as well as a new office space on Monday, and attorneys are invited to attend and join the festivities. TJC will host an Open House and Happy Hour from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the new office, located at 211 7th Ave. N., Suite 100, in downtown Nashville. RSVP to dwhaley@tnjustice.org.

The Gatlinburg disaster recovery center will cease operations tomorrow, though survivors of the Sevier County wildfires will have until Monday to register with FEMA for assistance. After the center closes, survivors can still get updates online or via the FEMA hotline or mobile app. Those in need of legal aid, however, will have options through Legal Aid of East Tennessee for at least the next six months, including a clinic tomorrow in Pigeon Forge.

The TBA will host a one-day conference called TBA Mashup: Opportunities Unlocked on Feb. 17. On the schedule are Pro Bono in Action training sessions, presentations about TBA member benefits as well as CLE programs covering technology updates, cybersecurity, drone law, e-discovery and more. Also planned is a Mini-Hackathon, in which lawyers will learn how a variety of professions find technology-assisted solutions to everyday problems. Finally, TBA staff will be taking up donation items for CASA. Find out more details, a list of items for the CASA donations as well as registration information here.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) has two legal clinics in the pipeline to assist those impacted by the Sevier County wildfires, with plans for more down the road. The first will be held this Friday at the Boyd’s Bear Donation Center in Pigeon Forge, located at 149 Cates Lane, from 2 – 6 p.m. The second is on Feb. 27, with location details still begin locked down. “We expect legal issues to continue to appear for at least six months. Our plan is to continue holding monthly clinics so wildfire survivors have access to legal advice as issues arise,” LAET’s Knoxville Pro Bono Director Kathryn Ellis says. Those who can help at either clinic should email Ellis.

The Knoxville Bar Association will host a free legal advice clinic for veterans tomorrow at the Knox County Public Defender’s Office, reports Knoxnews. This year, the association plans to host free clinics for veterans on the second Wednesday of each month. They are expected to serve 20-30 veterans at each event. For questions about how to get involved, email tchain@knoxbar.org.